The soft light of the afternoon was gently streaming into the room through the window.
Ling Shaomiao stood in front of the wardrobe for a moment and, after thinking for a while, chose a yellow top and skirt. After putting on the outfit, she stood before the mirror and carefully observed her face.
There was a small black mole on the middle of the right side of her nose, and another small mole under her right eye. Because she wore glasses, the mole under her eye looked a little less obvious, but if someone looked closely, it could easily be noticed.
Ling Shaomiao stared at her reflection for a few moments, then put on a yellow hat. The hat matched her outfit beautifully. After making sure everything looked right, she left the house.
Her home and Mrs. Welson's house were not very far apart. Walking past a few houses would take her to the neighboring unit.
Ling Shaomiao slowly walked past several houses and stopped in front of Mrs. Welson's home—the woman who was actually the parasite Amon in disguise.
She knocked lightly on the door.
After a while, the door opened. As soon as she entered, she noticed that Mrs. Welson had not yet put on her clothes for going outside. It seemed she had still been inside the house.
Ling Shaomiao smiled politely and stepped into the room. The afternoon sunlight cast long shadows across the floor through the window, and the room carried a calm yet somewhat strange atmosphere.
A thought suddenly flashed through Ling Shaomiao's mind—
She's not ready yet… or did she deliberately call me earlier?
Ling Shaomiao walked a few steps into the room. After glancing around once, she thought to herself,
Then I might as well make use of this opportunity…
She silently called the system.
In the next moment, everything around her seemed to freeze. The gentle movement of the air and the slight sway of the window curtains—everything stopped. It was as if time itself had come to a halt.
In this frozen world, only Ling Shaomiao could move.
Suddenly, a faint flash of light appeared before her, and a calm voice sounded.
"Why did you call me?" Miss Assistant asked.
Ling Shaomiao slowly walked as she spoke,
"Do I have any other missions?"
While speaking, she reached the kitchen. Among the items on the shelf, she saw five bottles of beer—all completely full.
"Yes, you still have more missions to complete," Miss Assistant replied calmly.
Ling Shaomiao picked up one bottle. At the same time, she opened the small glass vial in her other hand and slowly began pouring the liquid into the beer.
"Will I be able to return to my home… I mean, my previous world?" she asked while gently shaking the bottle.
Miss Assistant answered,
"If you complete all the missions, you will be able to."
"I see…"
While pouring the liquid into the second bottle, Ling Shaomiao asked again,
"If I die… will I return to the real world like the previous six times?"
The girl immediately replied,
"Not at all. If you die in an accident, you will return to the time before that accident happened."
"Oh…"
After placing all the bottles back in their original places, Ling Shaomiao slowly returned to the living room.
She sat down on the sofa and calmly said,
"Alright, my questions are finished. You may leave now."
Miss Assistant remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a surprised tone,
"Wait… what were you doing while asking me those questions?"
Ling Shaomiao gave a cold smile.
"Doing something necessary."
As soon as she finished speaking, the faint presence of light disappeared.
In the next moment, time began to flow normally again.
---
"Then let's go," said Amon in the form of Mrs. Welson in a steady voice. She wore a soft brown dress that made her skin appear even brighter. A light brown hat rested on her head, enhancing her elegant presence.
Ling Shaomiao smiled slightly and praised her,
"You look much younger today."
Amon, disguised as Mrs. Welson, let out a light laugh and said,
"Receiving praise from a beautiful young lady like you is truly rare."
Ling Shaomiao smiled modestly and replied,
"Thank you."
The soft light of the sky drifted over the two of them, making the brief moment feel even more radiant.
---
They hired a carriage and arrived at Rice Circus.
As soon as they entered, Ling Shaomiao noticed a familiar woman—her neighbor, Mrs. Stelin Summer. With her was another woman whose demeanor and presence made Ling Shaomiao guess that she must be Madam Mary.
Both of them wore relatively light and comfortable clothing, which made them appear much younger than their actual age.
Mrs. Stelin extended her hand toward Ling Shaomiao. Ling Shaomiao politely stepped forward and said with a smile,
"Hello, Mrs. Summer. It's really nice to see you."
Mrs. Summer looked toward the woman beside her and then slowly placed a hand on her chest and said,
"Hello, Miss… I am Aria Nightshade."
"I am Mary Schott. You may call me Madam Mary," the woman said to Ling Shaomiao.
Ling Shaomiao replied politely,
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Mary."
After that, the four women gradually introduced themselves, and Mrs. Welson—Amon in disguise—was also introduced.
Everyone showed their tickets and entered the opera hall.
The performers had not yet appeared on stage, but to Ling Shaomiao, the colorful lights and stage setting of the opera looked almost like the scene of an idol concert.
Mrs. Summer, sitting beside Ling Shaomiao, said,
"I really liked the sweets you gave me."
Ling Shaomiao replied cheerfully,
"Thank you."
Mrs. Summer added,
"By the way, may I have the recipe? Next Sunday I'm hosting a banquet. I'm thinking of including your sweets among the dishes."
Ling Shaomiao smiled and replied,
"Of course, I'll give you the recipe."
Mrs. Summer smiled gently and said,
"Thank you. I'll send you an invitation to the banquet. I hope you will come."
---
"It would be an honor for me," Ling Shaomiao said politely.
After saying that, the thought of that banquet suddenly came to her mind.
Ling Shaomiao knew that, according to the novel, Mrs. Summer occasionally hosted such banquets where marriageable young men and women were introduced to one another.
Why is she inviting me… does she want to introduce me to someone? she wondered.
After thinking for a moment, she came up with her own explanation.
Perhaps she's simply inviting me out of gratitude because I agreed to give her the recipe.
Mrs. Summer then asked again with mild curiosity,
"May I ask what you do for work? And what do your parents do?"
Ling Shaomiao paused for a moment. Then she answered calmly,
"I'm a fashion designer… and my parents…"
Her voice gradually lowered.
"…they are no longer alive."
A shadow of sadness immediately appeared on Mrs. Summer's face.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, as if she had unintentionally touched a sensitive subject.
Ling Shaomiao nodded lightly.